Tag Archives: collection inspiration

Coming up with design ideas for Scarlet Robin jewelry is never a problem. Many of our designs were created because I wanted to see what I could do with the shears/saw/torch/stamps. Love My Kids was literally my first experiment with the shears. Swirly Locket was to see how much detail I could cut without making a mistake.

Inspiration is found in photography, fashion, doodles, quotes, textiles and, quite often, in suggestions made by customers. “You should make…” has preceded quite a few of our best- selling pieces (including one that’s part of the new collection!)

And then there are times when I just have a bee in my bonnet to design around a particular theme: i.e. Heath LedgerAmericana.

I’ve always loved the symbolic imagery of patriotism from the original tri- cornered hat to the Capitol building. I get choked up reading the Constitution and visiting living history museums. Yep. And there is so much beyond the patriotic that visually means America.

So for the better part of a year I’ve been gathering ideas on stickies, 4 or 5 legal pads, a couple of journals and an iPhone app. Images collect via Pinterest, Google and our cell phone cameras. Follow our Americana board on Pinterest.*

The “intake” period is oh-so-fun, and really never stops. It’s what feeds my creativity. But eventually these scattered notes must be corralled. We use Mindmeister maps to make sense of the craziness and watch patterns begin to emerge. What images do you think are vital to an Americana collection?

*(Need an invitation to join Pinterest? Let us know via email (info@thescarletrobin.com) and we will shoot you an invite)

There are several reasons to design jewelry collections (as opposed to just adding products willy nilly), such as the fact that it’s much easier for you, a shopper, to find what you’re looking for in a themed category. A big one for me, is that a collection can focus the bazillion ideas I’ve been kicking around for months. Boundaries are healthy, and lead to greatly improved productivity. (Have you noticed there are always challenges on Project Runway?!)

If you’ve ever wondered how a product you own went from idea to gift box, follow me in this multi-part series, as our new Americana collection is born.